Up until Sunday, Mahomes was the Chiefs’ No. 3 QB on the depth chart behind Tyler Bray. Mahomes ran with the threes during Friday’s preseason loss to the 49ers.

On Sunday, Mahomes took all of the second-team reps while Bray ran with the threes/fours. This immediately sparked speculation that Mahomes could be the team’s No. 2 QB.

Coach Andy Reid said that’s not the case, however, citing a normal rotation among players as the reason for Mahomes’ promotion.

“It is not because of Tyler’s performance in the game,” Reid said after Sunday’s practice. “I think he actually played very well and Patrick did a nice job too. It gives [Mahomes] an opportunity to step up and work with that second group and see what he can do there.”

In addition to the QBs, Reid often rotates players in virtually all of the team’s position groups. Almost every player on the team has switched around on the depth chart. It’s typical to see second-stringers run with ones and threes, third-stringers run with twos and fours, and so on.

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Mahomes’ rotation wasn’t automatic, though. He had to earn it, and Reid believed he did so after Friday’s game.

“He had to do well so he could get in there and function and be able to go,” Reid said. “It is not something that Tyler didn’t do. Tyler is playing well, but Patrick has also done a nice job. In order to step up with that group, he would have had to have done that and progressed.”

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